Institutional publishing is central to the ecosystem of Diamond OA publishing. To maintain this growing ecosystem, it is vital to gain continued insights into the financial health of the operations of Diamond OA institutional publishers and service providers. For this purpose, the DIAMAS project has developed a tool for Diamond OA publishers: the Diamond OA Sustainability Check.
If you are a Diamond OA publisher or service provider, this tool is for you. It allows you to sketch out a picture of the financial strength of your service. All you need to do is answer a few simple questions, and it generates a radar chart indicating the publisher’s level of sustainability in certain key areas of financial operations. The question list can be found here (also available on Zenodo).
The questions are based on evidence gathered by the DIAMAS project from Diamond OA publisher and service provider financial sustainability experiences and challenges. We then consulted with project partner experts to identify the key areas that help form a rounded picture of what it means to be sustainable to create the basis of the chart.
Answering this tool’s questions prompts you to assess your costs, resources, income streams, whether you involved in shared services, which mechanisms allow your service to grow financially and how to control, monitor and manage your finances and plan for the future.
This self-assessment tool can help you plan strategically for a more sustainable future and equip you to discuss financial sustainability with management, colleagues, members and other stakeholders.
Users can take and retake the self-assessment at any time, and previous sessions are logged and accessible to you in a password-protected environment.
Try out the Diamond OA Sustainability Check tool here: https://diamas.fecyt.es/.
